Learn how to create your first visualization in Tableau by connecting to datasets and navigating the interface efficiently. Understand the step-by-step workflow for uploading data, building worksheets, and leveraging Tableau’s capabilities across both the public and desktop versions.
Key Insights
- Establishing a data connection in Tableau involves connecting—not importing—the dataset, ensuring the original data remains untouched while enabling interactive visual analysis.
- Efficient workflow includes reviewing the dataset, creating worksheets and dashboards, and ultimately publishing the project, with drag-and-drop functionality enabling faster data uploads.
- The paid version of Tableau offers significantly more data connection options—including Google Analytics, BigQuery, and Microsoft Power Pivot—compared to the more limited Tableau Public version.
Note: These materials offer prospective students a preview of how our classes are structured. Students enrolled in this course will receive access to the full set of materials, including video lectures, project-based assignments, and instructor feedback.
Let's talk about creating your first visualization. Well, to create your first visualization, we want to connect to data. So that's the first step.
So let's talk about connecting to data. This is the workflow. Connect to the data source or open the project file from Tableau Public using the navigation pane or the object pane where you can select different objects like Excel spreadsheets or CSV.
Review and evaluate your data. If necessary, add additional data sources. Create a worksheet or worksheets.
Create visualizations. Create dashboards and stories. Publish your project in a nutshell.
That's the whole workflow. So in Tableau, we first select the data we want to use. There's a distinction when it comes to Tableau.
You're connecting to your data. You're not importing it. You're not changing the original data.
Just like in SQL, when you query information, you're not allowed to update or delete records. The Database Administrator doesn't want you to do that. Tableau works the same way.
It's going to create a duplicate copy of your data to work in Tableau. It will not touch the original. We connect.
We do not necessarily open the data. In the online version, you'll click My Profile. You'll see this.
You'll create this. When you click that, this is where I had the screenshot that I showed you earlier. You'll see this.
You'll drag and drop your data into this window. It'll start the process of creating a connection to the information. If that window goes away, you can click this icon, and it'll pop up again so you can add in your information.
Drag and drop or upload your file. If you click the button, you can upload it from a folder, or you can just drag and drop it. My Profile, create a viz, drag and drop or upload the file.
Because it's the online version, remember, sometimes it crashes. It's pushing the file from your computer, so it takes longer. The browser is weaker.
OK, let's do this from the desktop. You can connect to your data source on the application version by going over to the blue bar, blue pane on the left, where you'll want to connect with your data. I show you keyboard shortcuts you can use here.
If you don't see the sidebar, you can click the logo. So let me show you different ways you can connect. Going to Tableau now.
What if you want to take a look at the application? You can click this little icon. Oh, that's my first sheet. There's nothing in it.
How do I get back? Just click the icon again, and you go right back. It's easy for you to go back and forth. Now, if you want to bring in a file, you can choose the type of file.
Let's say I choose text file. I'm going to click text file. Oh, it's just like a Windows Explorer.
Now, for my class, I have to go to Class Files Day. You're going to go to the folder on your computer where you save the class files. For me, in the office, it's Class Files Day.
It's Tableau. It's Tableau Level 1. Then I'm going to go to Data Sets, and I'm going to look for the Corporate Superstore Sales Data. What the heck? I know it's here.
It's not empty. Why am I not seeing it? So this is something that you need to be aware of if you're using this. I chose text file.
The Corporate Superstore Sales Data is an Excel file. If you choose text file, guess what you're going to see? Only text files. If there's no text files there, you're not going to see it.
I'm going to click the dropdown here and see if I can see anything else. No, they don't even have Excel. Oh, my gosh.
They're limiting me. Oh, wait, wait. All files.
Now I see it. But you probably want to do this in a much easier way. Rather than worrying about the data type, this is what I recommend, especially if you want to work fast.
You'll get paid more money if you work fast. So I'm going to go over to this folder. I'm going to go to Datasets.
I'll go over to Corporate Superstore Sales Data. I'm always going to see it if I do this. And then what am I going to do? I'm going to take this.
I'm going to drag it and drop. And that's fast. That's quick.
I don't have to go through menus. So this is actually the first step. And this is what I recommend.
You could do this. Or before I talk about the other method, let me show you what the paid version looks like. I took this from a screenshot because I don't have the paid version.
This is how many more connections you will have if you're using the paid version. So I'm showing you the screenshot. You got PostgreSQL.
You got Google Analytics, Google BigQuery, Google Cloud, MySQL, Microsoft Power Pivot. You can connect to a lot more data than what we have in the public version. So that's what you're paying for.
All right. This is my recommendation when you want to bring files into Tableau. Let it decide the format for you, and it'll just connect to it.
And that's quick.